Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I don't own the Harry Potter series or anything associated with it. So please don't sue me.
Summary: Neville goes to see his parents during the summer after Voldemort's return and finds out more about their condition.
Author's Notes: Well first off I'm just decided to write this fic because after a LONG vacation my muses came back and this is what they wanted to write. I felt it would be best not to argue with them. I'm also using this as a springboard for an original story I plan on writing. This will be multipart story with and have what I consider to be a pretty good involving plot. Please review and tell what's good and bad so I know. Like I said it's been a while since I last wrote something.
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Neville walked down the corridors of St. Mungo's again as he always did. But, this time he was alone for his Gran wasn't walking along beside him. She finally agreed to let him come here by himself. She was at home waiting for him. He wanted to see them by himself just because he wanted to talk to his parents on his own for once, without having his Gran intervene during certain points of the conversation.
He was feeling his Gryffindor bravery at the moment, as he walked the halls calmly because he was used to hearing the screams and the babblings of patients from their rooms or as they were being transported in the hallways.
"No, NO!! You're lying. You're a liar! Let me go, I'll be good," screamed a girl that looked a couple years older than him. She was at the other end of the corridor being escorted and magically restrained down the corridor, towards him, by two big looking wizards.
Neville watched as the group approached. Then he and the girl stopped in place as their eyes ocked on one another.
She stopped all of her ramblings and just continued to stare at him with wide eyes. He felt all the Gryffindor bravery leave around the time all his coherent thought, speech, and action left all because of that stare.
Neville was used to the loose of coherentness because of a stare, but it was usually from Professor Snape, Draco Malfoy, and occasionally Gran. He felt an involuntary shiver at the thought of those ice-cold glares they always seemed to aim at him.
He just continued to stare back.
"Leave the nice boy alone, Devona," one of the guards said. He gave Neville an apologetic smile. Neville still couldn't get his body to respond to what his brain was trying to tell his body.
The guard that spoke to the girl gave her a slight nudge in the direction they were heading. She blinked and whatever trance she was in was lost. She continued her ramblings as she continued her walk down the corridor.
Neville felt an unexpected hand on his shoulder. It woke him from his reverie, but it made him give a small shriek and wretch away from the hand that was on his shoulder.
That wrenching action made him fall back into a cart, that was just sitting in the middle of the hallway practically begging Neville to have some kind of accident with, which caused it to tip over and clatter to the ground spilling all of its contents with it.
'Of bloody course this would happen to me. Can't go nowhere without 'causing a disturbance' Neville thought to himself.
"Sorry about that, I'm really sorry, let me help you clean that up," Neville started apologizing and crawling on his knees to the mess on the floor.
"That's ok Neville, I really should be apologizing to you. Startling you and such," said Melinda Carlise a thirty-something year old mediwitch Neville saw practically every time he went to see his parents.
"That's ok Ms. Carlise I'm just a bit on edge. Getting to see my parents and all," Neville felt a blush creep onto his face as he ducked his head so he wouldn't have to look her in the eyes. He hated to see the pity looks most of the mediwitches and mediwizards gave him.
Melinda smiled and offered Neville a hand up, which he took.
"I just wanted to say hello, Neville. Do you want me to come with you?"
"If you don't have anything else to do," Neville politely replied.
"Well let's get going," they walked down the hallways Neville watched her out of the corner of his eyes. He could tell there was some thing bothering her.
Melinda suddenly stopped and grabbed Neville's shoulder to stop him from walking and turned him around so he was facing her. "Neville, before you see them, we thought we should tell you. They seem to be doing worse lately."
"What, what do you mean?" Neville asked. A hundred things started racing through his mind about what could have possibly happened to his parents between now and his last visit. He worried about them, he always did.
"Neville, lately since about mid-June, they started to scream during the middle of the night and having fits throughout the day. Although it is not a daily occurrence it does happen often enough. We're not sure of what's causing this regression.
"But they're not the only ones. Other patients with the same 'diagnosis' as you're parents seem to be showing similar symptoms."
Neville looked at Melinda not sure what to say. But, there was a knot forming in his stomach. 'Mid-June did she say? HE returned on June twenty forth. HIS followers caused their condition in the first place.'
Neville felt the knot tighten and felt quite a few shades paler. 'Did they hear of the news you You-Know-Whose return? Did they believe it?' Neville thought to himself. That lead him to thinking about Harry he wasn't quite the same when he came back after facing off with You-Know-Who. He missed the old Harry, the one who didn't have a perpetually sad face.
"Neville, I'm sorry. The staff thought it was best to tell you. They're in their room right now," Neville could barely hear her over his own thought. "Neville, Neville are you all right?"
"Not quite sure," Neville could feel his heart pound while taking in short shaky breaths.
Melinda was not too sure what she should or shouldn't do for Neville. She felt sorry for the dear. Death Eaters drove his parents insane, when he was just a little boy. Sure there were other children like him, but Neville's clumsiness and innocent face made him so endearing.
"Are you ready to see them?"
After closing his eyes and taking a few breaths he opened his eyes and told her he was.
Giving him a small smile they continued their walk to the Longbottoms' room. They stopped in front of the door when they finally arrived. Neville just stood in front of the door not making a move to open it.
"Are you going in?"
"Of course I am. I'm just getting ready to see them," Neville replied. He took a deep breath and looked at Melinda and said, "I can do this on my own."
Melinda got the hint and wished Neville luck as she turned to walk to some other part of St. Mungo's.
Neville watched her disappear down the hallway. It was time, he felt ready. He gave a forced smile and thought to himself, 'It shouldn't really be that big of a deal. I'm just seeing my parents. Same old, same old. I go in, hey ask who I am. I tell them, I try to convince them that I'm telling the truth, we talk for a bit, I leave, and they forget. It's happened every other time.
'OK time to get that Gryffindor bravery back.' With that going through his head Neville gave a light knock on the door.
"What was that?" said a distinctly female voice.
"Probably a mediwizard. Come in!" said a male.
Neville opened the door and stepped inside the room.
TBC